A Word from Your BCC Team: On October 1, 2015, Zondervan will release the BCC’s third book, Biblical Counseling and the Church: God’s Care through God’s People. You can request to be placed on a list to order Biblical Counseling and the Church at 40% off by emailing us at: [email protected] and placing in the subject line: Pre-Order. To order either of our first two BCC books (Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling and Scripture and Counseling), visit our BCC bookstore. Keep reading to learn why leading pastors, counselors, and educators believe you should read Biblical Counseling and the Church.

What Others Are Saying about Biblical Counseling and the Church

Biblical counseling should be a natural and vital component of discipleship within the covenant community that the Bible calls the body of Christ. It should also be a means of reaching out beyond the community to minister redemptive grace to the nations. This is a book, written by 34 committed biblical counselors, that will equip a church to do both. I am happy to commend its widest reading and use.—Daniel L. Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC

In an age when too much of the care and cure of souls takes place outside the church, this book offers a clarion call to embed counseling ministry within local congregations. It provides not only the biblical-theological rationale for this interpersonal ministry of the Word, but it also draws upon the multifaceted experiences of many authors to describe specifically what counseling/discipling looks like in the trenches of church life. Whether you are a pastor tasked with the shepherding of God’s flock or a layperson who takes seriously the one-another passages of Scripture, you will be further motivated and equipped to be a conduit of God’s care.—Michael R. Emlet, M.Div., M.D., Faculty and Counselor, the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF); Author of CrossTalk

To say that there is a lot of trouble in the world today would be simply to state the obvious. Trouble is everywhere…but it’s not just in the world “out there;” it’s in the church “in here.” The question facing every pastor today is, “How can I possibly help all the people whose lives are overflowing with troubles, conflicts, emotional problems of every kind, and relational breakups?” If that’s the question you’re facing today, this book will help provide you with the answers you need. The Lord of the church has gifted the church with all we need to minister to those within our walls who are suffering through all kinds of trouble. The authors of this book are all seasoned, wise counselors who are committed to the local church and to the sufficiency of the Word of the church’s Lord. I highly recommend it.—Elyse Fitzpatrick, Author of Counsel from the Cross

Biblical Counseling and the Church is packed with the wisdom of today’s leaders in biblical counseling. This book will greatly assist in moving the care of souls out of the exclusive realm of the counseling office into small groups and every aspect of church life! I am excited to watch as this book revolutionizes how we connect counseling and the church!—Julie Ganschow, Director of Reigning Grace Counseling Center; Author of Seeing Depression Through the Eyes of Grace

Since my first counseling class in seminary, I’ve aspired to preach like a counselor. Jesus preached as a counselor, and those who heard him felt like he knew everything about them. To apply the gospel—full of grace and truth—to the multifaceted brokenness in people’s lives is the essence of Christian ministry. The authors of Biblical Counseling and the Church demonstrate that gospel-centric counseling is not just for a select few, but the responsibility of every believer. If you want to help people progress in the gospel in meaningful ways, you need to read this book.—J.D. Greear, Ph.D., Pastor The Summit Church, Author of Gaining by Losing and of Jesus Continued

How can biblical counseling shape the week-by-week work of ministry? What effect should our approach to counseling have on small groups, church discipline, evangelism, and more? Throughout this book, seasoned ministry practitioners articulate clearly and practically the impact of biblical counseling in every area of the local church’s life and work. A much-needed resource for church staff!—Timothy Paul Jones, C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Family Ministry at Southern Seminary; Author of PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace

This is the Biblical Counseling Coalition’s best and most compelling book to date. The authors are pastors and counselors who know their craft. They have developed a thriving culture of biblical counselors and formal counseling ministries that not only help but also “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). If you believe the church should set the standard for compassionate, life-giving counsel and that making disciple-makers is part of the Great Commission, this book will both inspire and equip you to do it better.—Dr. James MacDonald, Senior Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel; Author of Act Like Men and Vertical Church;JamesMacDonald.org

It is rare for me to read a book and have it be all that I hoped it would be. I wanted a big, bold vision for biblical counseling in the church. That is what I got. This book is a treasure trove because time and time again my heart soared as the authors held up the Bible as the Book above every book for the church of Jesus Christ.—Jason C. Meyer, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church

Treacherous, painful, and lengthy are words and moments I’d typically rather avoid. Counseling can be an emotionally devastating work for the faithful and feeling elder. But counseling in the church isn’t optional. In fact, counseling is a gift to us who live under the curse of sin and a means of grace to bring growth and health to the church. This collection of authors take God’s Word out of the abstract and into the concrete for God’s people. Ministry practice without sound doctrine is a disaster. Buy this book and wear it out for the love and care of the church.—Daniel Montgomery, Lead Pastor of Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY; Founder of the Sojourn Network; Author of Faithmapping and PROOF.

The church is a place of real life change. Central to that vision and hope is the specific connection between what the Bible teaches and how to help people change. I’m grateful for Biblical Counseling and the Church—a powerful resource that identifies how any local church can become a culture of life change through biblical counseling in all aspects of the ministry. This book is practical, needed, and important.—Mark Vroegop, Lead Pastor, College Park Church, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Authors

The BCC exists to strengthen churches, para-church organizations, and educational institutions by promoting excellence and unity in biblical counseling as a means to accomplish compassionate outreach and effective discipleship.